When asked at JFK baggage help to list the contents of my gate-checked bag I was a little embarrassed to admit that the nearly empty pilot case contained but one item. If you don't know me by now to know that I was fleamarket traveling with an expectantly empty suitcase then you might guess that I was fairly flustered to admit to the very helpful and friendly American Airlines staffer that I was transporting bubble wrap in my otherwise empty suitcase.
To wit, said suitcase would eventually encase a few additional new-to-me items on its homeward bound journey a few days later, but not until I had attended to the divas we had traveled 1,700 miles to see.More on our Broadway divas in a blog bit, but first a flashback... Among my favorite journeys with Mari was a punctiliously planned "divas concert tour" during Spring Break 2011.
It was all due to an alignment of divas which is likely never to happen again for another 75 years (I suppose that's Haley's Comet, but you get the idea). It started with Lady Gaga in Dallas, then Celine Dion in Vegas two nights later, and finally Miss Jackson at Radio City Music Hall at the end of our jet-set week.
Our divas on Broadway pre-Thanksgiving fleamarket visit to NYC last week did not involve any actual diva sightings (unless you count Miss Peppermint of RuPaul's Drag Race fame), but would include three musicals devoted to divas and their transcendent tunes.I was saddened to learn just this week that Head Over Heels will end its run prematurely in January. Mari and I enjoyed the beautiful new-to-us historic Hudson Theatre as a lush backdrop to a very clever reimagining of a medieval tale set to a modern beat. If you are looking for a lively musical with a contemporary spin and if you love the music of The Go-Go's and Belinda Carlisle, then please head your heels over to the Hudson before January 6, 2019.
During our recent stay, Mari and I also enjoyed Summer: The Donna Summer Musical and The Cher Show. Legendary music and divas from our childhood came alive for us once again. Mari and I have fond live concert memories of both Donna Summer and Cher, but their Broadway musical bios transport the lives of both remarkable women beyond the dance floor. You'll be truly inspired and not just to get up and dance.
Of course, Mari and I carefully planned our visit to include a full Saturday and Sunday. As you know, dear reader, that means fleamarketing our favorite fleas. A full morning at the Hell's Kitchen Flea Market followed by our favorite sloppy Joe at Schnipper's is nothing short of a perfect New York Saturday morning. (Currently I'm in love with the Mac and Joe--half mac and cheese, half sloppy Joe, but the sloppy fries are a comforting favorite.)
Here are both sites again.
We met a wonderfully friendly new vendor on our Thanksgiving-chilly Saturday morning. We detected her beautiful accent as she greeted us with a warm smile, hands searching for warmth in the pockets of her long wool coat. We told her we had traveled from steamy South Texas to enjoy some wintry cold weather and I teased that I would likely be putting away my winter coat and boots for the season after returning home in a few days. We soon learned that our vendor was originally from St. Petersburg and we were thrilled to tell her how much we had enjoyed our visit last summer.
While fleamarketing often brings secondhand goods and childhood memories flooding back into our lives, it is always heartwarming (especially on a blustery Saturday morning) to relive that universally musical truth, "There's so much that we share that it's time we're aware it's a small world after all." The comforts of home are often found in surprisingly faraway places.Let me share with you a few items that made the return journey with us to their new home. You won't be terribly surprised to find a couple of new old tea cups.
I purchased the tastefully tarnished (tarnish equals character) sextet of silver-plated appetizer forks pictured above from our new Russian ally to add to my collection of... well, appetizer forks. The arrow-tipped tines on these slender miniatures reminded me of the herring forks I had purchased last summer in Stockholm. Those have yet to stab their intended briny morsels, but always serve up happy memories whenever I open the silverware drawer.
So, along with having enough bowls and dishes for the next neighborhood block party, there are quite a few herring and appetizer forks, too.
Spotted among various assorted sundries (including a delicately precarious balance of household goods and garage tools) from another vendor, the miniature fluted Salisbury bowl pictured next did not have a lid, but I am guessing it is a sugar bowl. The blue floral "Harvest Time" pattern with gold rim made this English bone china bric-a-brac hard to resist at four dollars.
Also standing tall at four dollars from the same vendor is the six-inch-long cast iron owl trivet. We have a few of these old trivets in our kitchen festooned with various degrees of undulating loops and regularly put them to practical use. The newest addition to my owl collection will likely not join the parliament on display over my computer, but I assure you he will be in safe hands in the kitchen where he can serve a more utilitarian purpose, perhaps joining us for tea occasionally as he cradles a tepid teapot.
The vibrant pink and burgundy roses of the Queen Anne bone china teacup were barely visible beneath layers of neglect at another vendor's collection of household goods. Had I not been so deep into my hunting and gathering I likely would have missed this British beauty altogether. For five dollars I couldn't resist rescuing yet another teacup and saucer.That sound you hear is the sound of Mari rolling her eyes in my general direction.
You may recall an earlier antique find from our previous snowbounded visit to the Grand Bazaar NYC. Tucked inside (recently renamed) MS-245, the vendors nestled in the comfortable environs of the school cafeteria offer a beautiful array of collectible goods. On Sunday morning, I walked eagerly and directly up to a familiar table and the familiarly familiar vendor I had looked forward to seeing once more.On our last visit I had purchased a beautiful bone china Limoges teacup and saucer that was over a century old (NYC Markets revisited, episode 5). Delighted to see vendor Sharon Murphy again, I reminded her that I had last purchased from her during our 2017 Spring Break and that I was hoping to export another antique back to South Texas. I had never seen the not-exactly-romantic sounding Schleiger 381 Haviland China pattern, but I could not pass up another 100-year-old delicate Limoges beauty from Ms. Murphy's collection. Be sure to visit her colorfully curated online shop should you also have a teacup fiend in your life.
teacupsfromsharon.etsy.com
My final purchase was back outside in the school parking lot where an inviting variety of vendors had gathered for a beautifully crisp Sunday before Thanksgiving. As usual, you will find here a diverse assortment of household goods, clothing, books, collectibles, decor, and furniture for sale on any given Saturday or Sunday. Some items cleverly crafted, others carefully curated, all with their own story and all awaiting the opportunity to become part of your story.
Two of these Schumann bread and butter plates from Bavaria, scalloped edges and all, made their way into my fleamarket backpack that afternoon. Ready for an afterschool snack, evening dessert, or halftime treat to share with my own beloved diva, these delicately detailed reminders of a fall fleamarket journey with Mari will always bring me home.
Before I forget, that's us up top at the Bryant Park Holiday Shops. You will love strolling the park, shopping the vendors, tasting the treats, and enjoying the festive atmosphere. I'm guessing you will especially enjoy the experience after dark when the festive glow is at its brightest. Visit the site for helpful visitor information.
I hope you will return with me once more to our fiftieth state next time.
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